Legacy Giving

“To leave the world a little better – whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived…this is the meaning of success.”Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can continue to help people of all ages learn to read and leave a legacy by including Pioneer Library System Foundation in your will or estate plan. You can continue to support your library and be remembered. Think of it as a way to “live forever” by creating a personal legacy around something that matters to you.

A charitable bequest is a great way to take care of yourself and your library. Working with your attorney or financial advisor, you can provide specific instructions in your will or living trust for establishing a bequest. This is usually a few sentences to leave the Pioneer Library System Foundation a specific item, amount of money or a percentage of your estate. If your needs or intentions change in the future, your will can be amended to reflect that change.

A charitable bequest is a flexible option for leaving a meaningful legacy for the future. There are many options regarding how a bequest can ultimately be fulfilled.

A charitable bequest is a straightforward and comfortable way to have a meaningful, lasting impact on the future of the Pioneer Library System. A charitable bequest does not affect your financial position since it is fulfilled only after you no longer need the funds. Planning a gift through your will or estate can also provide significant tax advantages.

You may also support the library by naming the Pioneer Library System Foundation as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement account.

When naming the library as a beneficiary, please indicate the beneficiary name as:

Become a member of the Pioneer Society by informing the PLS Foundation staff of your intention to make a planned gift. Members of the Pioneer Society are honored for their forethought and generosity in helping to ensure quality library programs and services for future generations. Requests for anonymity are always honored.

Planned giving is a method of supporting non-profits and charities through financial or estate planning. This type of gift often enables philanthropic individuals to make larger gifts than they normally would make from their income alone. Planned gifts use estate and tax planning techniques to detail a gift for charity in a way that will maximize the gift and minimize impact on the donor’s estate.

Just about anything you own – cash, stocks, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, real estate or personal property. We have a gift acceptance policy to guide us when it comes to types of gifts.

It depends on the type of planned gift you make. While there are some planned gifts that do not require a will, others do need to be included in your will or living trust to be valid. Your best bet is to consult a professional legal or financial advisor to insure your wishes will be carried out as you intend.

Most planned gifts carry tax advantages. It is important to consult a professional advisor to be sure you are maximizing all available tax advantages as you consider making a planned gift.

Possible advantages could include:

Donors can contribute appreciated property, like securities or real estate, receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of the asset, and pay no capital gains tax on the transfer (PlannedGiving.com).

Gifts payable to a charity upon the donor’s death, like a bequest or a beneficiary designation in a life insurance policy or retirement account, do not generate a lifetime income tax deduction for the donor, but they are exempt from estate tax (PlannedGiving.com).